The Extraordinary Colors of Auden Dare

Bethell, Zillah. The Extraordinary Colors of Auden Dare. Feiwel Friends, 2018.

Auden Dare can't see color, but that's the least of his worries. His world is in the midst of the Water Wars, and his father is away fighting against the enemy over the small amount of water left on the planet. Auden and his mom move into his late uncle's home, and Auden uncovers a mystery there. He's certain this mystery will lead to his uncle's experiments to help Auden see color, but perhaps there are bigger things at stake.

This book started very, very slowly, without much of the explanatory world-building that happens in a story set in a world so different from our own. Auden's voice wavers between sounding like a child and sounding like an adult reminiscing about childhood, so it was hard to discern whether he sounds right for his age. The end of the book certainly picks up its pace and becomes very readable and interesting; it's just disappointing that the first third of the book is such a slog, because many readers will abandon a book if it isn't interesting early enough. The whole issue with Auden being colorblind has led some to say this is a great read alike for The Giver, but it isn't remotely the same kind of story, so I don't think that's an accurate suggestion. I would give this book to kids who enjoyed The War that Saved My Life or possibly the HiLo graphic novels, but I would likely read the first third of the book aloud together until it gets to the interesting parts so that the child would be compelled to finish the story.

Recommended for: tweens, middle grade
Red Flags: some intense action scenes
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley for the purpose of review.

The Strangers

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. The Strangers. Katherine Tegen Books, 2019.

Chess, Emma, and Finn come home from school to find their mother staring at her laptop, where there is a news recording of three children in Arizona who have been kidnapped. Three children who have the exact same first and middle names as they do and who share their birthdays. The next day their mother has to leave town for work, and the trio stumble into a mystery that has them looking for clues, breaking secret codes, and traveling to other worlds.

I remember reading and loving Haddix's Hidden Children series as well as her book Running Out of Time. I was very excited, then, to receive a digital ARC of this book to review. Similar to Haddix's other books, this book is filled with lots of action and adventure to help keep kids reading and turning the pages. Unlike many of her other works, though, this one has a rather slow build. There is a lot of explanation and a lot of description of the kids sitting around trying to figure things out. If you have read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, you'll remember the 100+ pages when Harry and Hermione (and sometimes Ron) are camping - they move from place to place and keep trying to figure things out, but there isn't much action in that section of the book. It's the same in this book for the first 75% or so.

It's a very slow build up, which makes it quite different from many other of Haddix's shorter, compelling stories. Because of this, I wouldn't give this book to a reluctant or struggling reader, but I would give it to a child who enjoyed A Wrinkle in Time, and I would give it to a child who had read all of Haddix's other works and was looking for a new book to read. The story is interesting, but not compelling. It's a solid clean read, though, so keep it on your shelves for patrons who want books without violence or language.

Recommended for: middle grade
Red Flags: mild peril
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Read-Alikes: Book Scavenger, What We Found In the Sofa and How It Saved the World, A Wrinkle in Time

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Edelweiss for the purpose of review.

The Lonely Dead

Henry, April. The Lonely Dead. Henry Holt & Co, 2018.

Adele can speak with the dead. Like her mother and grandmother before her, Adele can see and communicate with the dead when she is near the place their remains lie. Diagnosed with schizophrenia at a young age, Adele has been taking medication to damper the voices of the dead. But recently she stopped taking her meds, and now her former best friend is speaking to her, right over the place where her body is buried. Soon the murder is discovered, the police are looking for someone to pin the crime on, and Adele is looking like the ideal suspect.

Anyone who enjoys shows like Supernatural or X-Files where people can speak to the dead, combined with shows like Criminal Minds or Bones where there are murder investigations, would enjoy this book. The ending was completely predictable in the way many suspense/thriller endings are, but that didn't make it any less enjoyable. This book focuses mainly on the action of the plot, and it is certainly a compelling story. There is not much world-building and not a ton of character development, but if you are looking for a fast-paced story, this is the one for you.

I can't speak to the use of schizophrenia as Adele's diagnosis, but I do hope some #ownvoices reviewers on Goodreads do address this issue. It is unsurprising that she was diagnosed, especially with the history of her mother and grandmother also speaking to the dead, but I don't know how an #ownvoices reviewer would see the way this issue was handled.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: language, attempted murder
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

Read-Alike Authors: Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Nick Lake, Lucy Christopher

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley for the purpose of review.

The Bookshop Girl

Bishop, Sylvia. The Bookshop Girl. Peachtree Publishers, 2018.

Property Jones was abandoned in a bookshop when she was just five years old, and since then she has lived with the owners of the shop, who have raised her as their own. Their shop isn't doing well, until one day they discover that they have won a competition and stand to inherit The Great Montgomery Book Emporium! But with this new shop also comes a big mystery, and it's up to Property to get to the bottom of it.

This is a nice, clean read for middle grade students. I found the idea of a five year old being abandoned in a book shop, and then simply taken in by the family, a bit of a stretch (why didn't five year old Property know her name or who her parents were?), but the target audience for this book will not have a problem with that in the slightest. Otherwise, it's a fun, light mystery set in a bookshop and will appeal to many readers.

Recommended for: middle grade
Red Flags: None
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

Read-Alikes: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library, Book Scavenger, The Mysterious Benedict Society

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley for the purpose of review.

Ready Player One

Cline, Ernest. Ready Player One. Crown Publishers, 2011.

It's 2045 and the world is falling apart. Wade is a high school senior who lives at the top of a stack of mobile homes. He goes to school online via the OASIS, a virtual reality world invented by a genius game designer. When the game designer dies, he leaves a cryptic message and puzzle for the world: the first person to find three keys to go through three gates will inherit his fortune. Wade becomes a gunter (egg hunter) looking for this hidden "Easter egg" in the game. But as he gets closer to finding answers, he discovers that others are also searching and are willing to do whatever is necessary to get him out of the way.

I cannot believe I didn't read this book when it came out. I must have picked it up and put it back down a dozen times, but it wasn't until this past weekend that I actually tried to read it. And then I couldn't put it down. And I wasn't paying attention to anything else - food, sleep, sunshine - because I just had to find out what happened. Once I finished it, I turned back to the front and started reading again, which is something I don't think I've ever done. This book is simply fantastic. It is certainly an homage to all that made the 1980s what they were, but inside of that there is the adventure story and the mystery of the different riddles Wade and his friends had to solve. I haven't seen the movie yet, as most of the time when I love a book I do not love the movie, but I do highly recommend this book.

UPDATE: On page 173 of the paperback edition, Parzival and Art3mis are having a conversation, and Parzival asks Art3mis: "Are you a woman? And by that I mean are you a human female who has never had a sex-change operation?" This is unbelievably transphobic and once my spouse pointed it out to me, it left a bad taste in my mouth. The story itself would be fine without this ridiculous line. 

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: lots of threats of violence, both in the real world and in the game
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Read-Alikes: Ender's Game, Scythe, Proxy

White Rabbit

Roehrig, Caleb. White Rabbit. Feiwel Friends, 2018.

Rufus's half-sister, April, calls him late at night asking for help. When he and his ex-boyfriend, Sebastian, arrive at the party where April had been, they find a grisly murder scene. April swears she didn't murder Fox, although the knife in her hand and blood on her clothes tells a different story. April offers Rufus two thousand dollars to solve the mystery and clear her name. Thus the trio begin traveling through the night, searching for clues and talking to suspects, and Rufus finds that things aren't as simple as they seem.

This is a standard murder mystery/thriller story, with the addition of Rufus and Sebastian being LGBTQ+. The flashback scenes provide appropriate spacing and breathing room between intense scenes where the trio question suspects and try to suss out who is telling the truth. Most teens will probably not guess the ending before reading it. Unfortunately, most of the suspects use homophobic slurs in reference to Rufus and Sebastian, which could easily have been avoided even from the mouths of distasteful villains.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: murder, underage drinking and illegal drug use, language, homophobic slurs
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

Read-Alikes: The Night She Disappeared, The Killing Woods, The Girl Who was Supposed to Die

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley for the purpose of review.

Copycat

Jayne, Hannah. Copycat. Sourcebooks Fire, 2018.

Addison loves the Gape Lake series, so much so that she has a blog dedicated entirely to the books. When she receives an email from the author asking her to be part of a blog tour, she is ecstatic.

And then the murders began.

Seriously, after that life and art imitate each other as Addison tries to find the solution to the mystery as the body count rises in her hometown.

This book will probably be plenty suspenseful and interesting for teen readers, but I figured out the solution way too early for the suspense to truly be suspenseful. Additionally, the first third of the book or so was rather stilted and clunky; it took a while for the writing to smooth out and become suspenseful. I would give this book to fans of thrillers, especially those who read things quickly and need another book to fly through as they wait for the next book in their beloved series, but this isn't a stand-out title.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: murder (and consequently corpses)
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley for the purpose of review.

The Alcatraz Escape

Bertman, Jennifer. The Alcatraz Escape. Henry Holt, 2018

Emily, James, and their friends are going to try an escape room set up by Grizwald himself, set on Alcatraz Island. Once they reach the island, though, there are more mysteries to solve than just the puzzles that are a part of the game. Will they be able to solve the puzzles in time to win the grand prize, and can they do it in time to guarantee that the bookshop receives its large donation?

This is a fantastic middle grade mystery/adventure story, perfect for fans of the previous two installments or Chris Grabenstein's Lemoncello books. The puzzles and the mysterious events keep the reader turning pages to find out what will happen. There is suspense and some mildly scary situations, but this is a clean read that I could wholeheartedly recommend to any child.

What stood out to me the most was a discussion that some of the characters had near the end of the story, where one character says, "If you love something, like a book or a movie, and then you find out the person who created it did something awful or wasn't a very good person--is it still okay to love what they created?" Bertman doesn't provide an answer to this timely question, beyond that "people are complicated," which is certainly true.

I highly recommend this book for kids who like puzzles, for teachers who like to have read-alouds for their classroom, and for those who want their kids to read "clean" stories but still provide them with a challenge.

Recommended for: middle grade and tweens
Red Flags: mild bullying
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars

Read-Alikes: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library, Greenglass House, I Kill the Mockingbird

I received a complimentary copy of this book through the publisher for the purposes of review.

Head On

Scalzi, John. Head On. Tor Books, 2018.

Head On continues where Lock In left off, with Chris, a rookie FBI agent, and Chris's partner, Leslie, solving cases. This case involves a new sport called Hilketa that is primarily played by Haden's survivors. An athlete dies in the middle of a game - a first for the league and the sport, and Chris and Leslie are rushing to uncover the truth as witnesses die and evidence is tampered with.

This is a standard detective novel with the added twist that Chris and other Haden's survivors navigate the physical world using Threeps, robot bodies that they can control with their minds so they can speak, drive, work, and be with the rest of the world while their bodies are "locked in" in their beds. These Threeps are also what they use to play Hilketa, a game where one player is chosen at random and the other players attempt to remove that player's head and score points with it. I had a bit of a shock when I started reading this book and learned about Hilketa, but had forgotten about the use of Threeps and thought that players were actually ripping each other's heads off. Hilketa is a brutal and violent game, but the damage is only to the Threeps.

I initially read Lock In because it won an Alex Award, which is given for adult books with teen appeal. Since then I have read Scalzi's other novels, including the Old Man's War series, which I particularly enjoyed. Lock In and Head On are detective stories, and they would make great read-alikes for fans of gritty detective novels and crime procedural shows like Criminal Minds, Law & Order, Bones, etc. Another interesting point is that never once during either of the books is Chris's gender revealed. Scalzi wrote on the Tor blog about this choice, and I think it's really interesting. During the first book I assumed Chris as male, probably because Chris is often referred to by their last name, Shane, which is typically a male name.

Recommended for: older teens and adults
Red Flags: language, violence similar to that in crime procedural shows like Criminal Minds
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley for the purpose of review.

The Unbreakable Code

Bertman, Jennifer Chambliss. The Unbreakable Code. Henry Holt & Company, 2017.

Emily and James have hardly recovered from their adventures in Book Scavenger, and now they notice their teacher Mr. Quisling acting suspiciously. Following him leads to another book-related mystery. Can they solve this mystery before the mysterious arsonist beats them to the answer?

This book was very similar to Book Scavenger, a book I very much enjoyed and frequently promote at my library through book talks. While there are plenty of references to books in this story, is not nearly as literature or library-focused as Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library or its sequel. I loved watching the kids solve the puzzles and wondering if they'd arrive at the correct conclusion before the bad guys caught up with them. I did guess the ending correctly, but I'm not an 8-12 year old, so I don't consider that a bad thing.

Full of San Francisco color and history, this book is highly recommended for tweens, particularly those who are fans of mystery stories.

Recommended for: tweens
Red Flags: "mild peril" - there are a couple of fires that happen and the main characters are occasionally in danger
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars

Read-Alikes: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library, Inkheart, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

The Inn Between

Cohen, Marina. The Inn Between. Roaring Brook, 2015.

Quinn is taking one last trip with her best friend Kara. She is traveling with Kara's family as they move to California. Quinn is glad to get away from her parents and the memories of her sister Emma, who has been missing now for a long time. The group stops at a hotel to stay overnight, but Quinn and Kara wake up to discover they're the only ones left at the hotel. What's going on, and how can they be reunited with their family?

Goodreads describes this book as "supremely creepy." I disagree. It's mostly mysterious and mildly creepy. It would be an easy book to give to a tween who enjoys mysteries or who likes stories that are spooky but not completely scary.

Recommended for: middle grade
Red Flags: The people at the Inn Between are waiting to see if they live or die, which might be bothersome to some readers.
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

Read-Alikes: Greenglass House, The Night Gardener, The Graveyard Book

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley for the purposes of review.

These Shallow Graves

Donnelly, Jennifer. These Shallow Graves. Random House Children's, 2015.

Josephine's father dies in an accident, and Josephine is determined to figure out what really happened. She is sure it wasn't an accident, like the newspapers say, nor a suicide, like her uncle says. But how can a girl in late 1800s New York solve a mystery when she is supposed to be mourning her father, planning her possible future wedding, and behaving like a proper young lady?

The cover of this book is what drew me in. It looks spooky, possibly zombie-esque, and I felt the promise of a creepy mystery/thriller. Unfortunately, this book is not as creepy or spooky as it appears. Instead, it reads very similarly to The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate and Chasing Secrets, both of which are excellently written middle grade historical novels featuring female protagonists. The difficulty here is that These Shallow Graves is written for a teen audience and the protagonist is 17 years old, but she reads very often like a 12-year old. The entire book felt like a middle grade book for me, but some of the content is not necessarily appropriate for a typical middle grade audience. Also, this book is very, very long, much too long to tell its story. I'm not sure there's a good audience for this one: teens will likely be bored by the repetitive, plodding story.

Recommended for: young teens
Red Flags: girls discuss what happens on their wedding night - no explicit details are given, but it is implied
Overall Rating: 2/5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley for the purposes of review.

I Am Princess X

Priest, Cherie. I Am Princess X. Arthur A. Levine Books, 2015.

May and Libby were best friends, and together they created the character of Princess X. They filled notebooks with the princess's adventures. Then Libby died in a car accident and May was left alone. Now May is seeing Princess X appear all over Seattle, and she just knows that Libby is somehow still alive and is responsible for the Princess X webcomic. But will she be able to find Libby before the Needle Man does?

This book was amazing. Between the Princess X webcomic that graces more than a few pages and the mystery element with the clues that Libby leaves for May to find her, I couldn't stop thinking about this book. For the first time in months, I actually wanted to put aside my to-do list at work and read my book instead [I didn't.]. This book would be a great one to give to teens or tweens who are fans of webcomics or graphic novels and who like mystery stories. I will definitely be book-talking this one with my patrons.

Recommended for: tweens and teens
Red Flags: intense situations where May is being chased by the villian, but no sex, smoking, drinking, swearing, etc.
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars

Read-Alikes: Afterworlds, Fangirl, Book Scavenger

Scarlett Undercover

Latham, Jennifer. Scarlett Undercover. Little, Brown BYR, 2015.

Scarlett graduated from high school two years early, and while she waits for her peers to catch up, she's running a private investigation business. She left business cards at all the local schools, and most of her cases are fairly simple. But when a young girl contacts her because she believes her brother was involved in the recent, highly publicized death of another boy, Scarlett is soon dealing with a case that may make her wonder if she's bit off more than she can chew.

This is a classic gumshoe novel, right down to Scarlett having her own office and visiting less-than-classy neighborhoods in order to get information. Scarlett is also Muslim, and her faith and its accompanying mythos play into the case she's trying to solve.

What I liked: Scarlett is a strong character and she fits well into the role of gumshoe detective. The story itself is a classic gumshoe story and would be a great "gateway novel" for teens who enjoy mysteries and may want to read adult gumshoe novels. I love that Scarlett is a not a white man who solves crimes and that the mythos behind the object she seeks is not European- or Christian- centric.

What I didn't like: I didn't get enough backstory. Why is Scarlett allowed to run a private investigator business, including having her own office, when everyone else her age is still sitting in geometry class? This doesn't jive with her sister's adherence to their Muslim faith. Scarlett even mentions at one point that, as a Muslim girl, she should not be alone with a man who is not part of her family, and yet her sister, who is Scarlett's guardian, is letting her run a business? I don't buy it. And where do they get the money to do that, anyway? Her sister is in residency at a local hospital, so she certainly doesn't have a lot of money.

My other big gripe is the absolutely painful use of figurative language. In Brandon Sanderson's Steelheart, the main character says these really horrible similes and then has to explain them to other people, but it's part of his character and is only used in his dialog. Scarlett, however, apparently thinks in bad metaphors and similes. I know she's a teen, but she doesn't have to think the way a teen might write. Here is a small sampling of the figurative language from this book:

"And everything seemed to run smooth as fresh-shaved legs."
"It made Reem about ashappy as a cat in a kennel when I skipped [school]."
"Because I wanted him keeping track of me like I wanted a fresh paper cut."
"So I stood and walked away, weak as a prom night chastity pledge."

I could forgive the plot holes, but not the painful figurative language. With some editing, this book could easily achieve the full five stars.

Recommended for: teens, fans of mystery
Red Flags: minor language, some violence
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley for review purposes.

Bone Gap

Ruby, Laura. Bone Gap. Balzer + Bray, 2015

Finn and his older brother Sean are on their own. Sean gave up his dreams of medical school when their mother left, so now he cares for Finn as best he can. When a mysterious girl appears in their barn, Sean offers her their spare apartment. When she leaves, everyone assumes she ran off with someone else. But Finn is sure something sinister has happened; if only he could remember what the man looked like, the man who took Roza.

This book alternates chapters telling Finn's story and Roza's, and some of it tells of Roza's time before coming to Bone Gap and some of it tells what's happening in the present, so it can be hard to follow. It was interesting and weird and unusual, but I wouldn't say it was compelling. This would be a good book to give to teens who like both fantasy and contemporary works in order to introduce them to magical realism.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: language, violence
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Book Scavenger

Bertman, Jennifer. Book Scavenger. Henry Holt & Co BYR, 2015.

Emily's family is moving to San Francisco on their quest to have fifty homes in the fifty states. Emily is looking forward to this move, though, because it puts her closer to her hero: Garrison Griswold, a man who is hailed as the Willy Wonka of books and who has created a website called Book Scavenger where players hide books in real life and leave clues on the website, earning points when they find books or others find books they've hidden. But when Emily stumbles upon a copy of Poe's The Gold-Bug in a BART station, she suddenly finds herself in the middle of a real mystery: why are those two men following her everywhere, and what's so special about this particular book that they could want it so badly?

I loved almost everything about this book. I loved the literary references, of course, and the nod to Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library, which is one of my more recent favorites and one of the few books I refuse to give away. I loved that Emily makes a friend and learns to be interested in other people's interests, too. I adore the fact that James named his cowlick; I'm considering naming mine now, too. The only reason this book got 4 1/2 stars instead of 5 is that some of the SF references were not exactly spot-on. There is no cable car that leads to the Ferry Building, and no self-respecting local would use a cable car for transportation, either: they cost more than twice the price of a bus ticket and only go nine miles an hour. The rest of the local references were excellent, however, including the mini park that happens to be located on the western side of Hyde Street relatively near Lombard Street - it even has the teepee that is mentioned, although it smells rather like dogs enjoy it, so I would not have crouched inside it like the characters did. Overall, an excellent book and I will certainly be purchasing a copy (or two or three) for my library's collection. Perhaps it will inspire the next generation of cypher-ers.

Recommended for: middle grade, tweens
Red Flags: Mr. Griswold is shot, the kids are threatened with a gun but not harmed
Overall Rating: 4.5/5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Read-Alikes: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library,Masterminds, Greenglass House

Masterminds

Korman, Gordon. Masterminds. Balzer & Bray, 2015.

Eli lives in the remote town of Serenity, where no one does anything wrong and there's never any crime or any problems. Even the streets are named for peaceful things: harmony, amity, etc. One day Eli and his friend try to ride out of town to explore the desert, and Eli is assaulted with throbbing pain. He's taken by helicopter to the hospital, and his friend is whisked away to his grandparents' home out of town. Before he leaves, Eli's friend leaves him a message: "There's something screwy with this town." Will Eli be able to figure out what is screwy here, and can he do it before he or the other kids in town suffer the consequences?

This book is part mystery, part action-adventure. Because the town is so squeaky-clean, there's no violence or profanity to worry about, but there's plenty of intense mystery as the kids try to work through what's going on. This book would make an excellent classroom or library read-aloud, and will be an easy one to book talk to my patrons. Strongly recommended.

Recommended for: middle grade
Red Flags: none (seriously; a kid gets in trouble for taking too many donuts, but that's about it)
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars

Read-Alikes: Poop Fountain!, What We Found in the Sofa and How it Saved the World, The Mysterious Benedict Society

The Killing Woods

Christopher, Lucy. The Killing Woods. Chicken House Ltd, 2013.

Emily's dad has been accused of murdering Ashlee, a popular teen girl whom Emily's dad carried out of the woods near her house one night. Emily's dad doesn't remember killing Ashlee, but he suffers from PTSD and assumes he killed her during a flashback while in the woods. Emily is determined to clear his name, but to do so she has to investigate what might actually have happened to Ashlee.

This book definitely sounds like it would be suspenseful and creepy, the perfect book to read around Halloween. Unfortunately, while the story does have a mystery element, the suspense aspect fell flat, as did the thrilling, must-turn-the-next-page aura that I expect from a book designated as a thriller. I also didn't feel like I got to know Emily or her father at all, even though both have starring roles in this story. I had high expectations for this book, but I was definitely disappointed. For teens who like thrillers or compelling reads, I'd recommend books by Nick Lake instead.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: murder, underage drinking and teen drug use, a soldier's PTSD flashbacks
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

Read-Alike Suggestions: The Impossible Knife of Memory, The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die, Stolen: A Letter to My Captor

Greenglass House

Milford, Kate. Greenglass House. Clarion Books, 2014.

Milo and his parents live and work at the Greenglass House, an inn located at the top of a mountain in a remote area well-known to smugglers. Milo is looking forward to spending his winter vacation with his parents when suddenly the inn is full to bursting with very unusual and suspicious characters. Milo's parents are rushing around trying to meet everyone's needs while Milo befriends a girl named Meddy and the two of them try to solve a mystery together.

This synopsis doesn't do the story justice, but there was no way to write about the ending without using numerous spoilers. This is a great middle grade mystery with lyrical writing reminiscent of Far Far Away. Milford did a fantastic job creating the wintry atmosphere with the guests trapped together in the inn. Milo's explorations throughout the house only add to the mysterious air of the story. For the first time in a very long time, I did not guess at the ending before I reached it, and I was pleasantly surprised to be surprised. Free of red flags, this story would make an excellent upper elementary classroom read-aloud and would be an easy book to book talk, especially around the winter holidays.

Recommended for: 4-6th grade
Red Flags: Movie raters would call it "mild peril" - Milo is chased by the bad guys and thrown into a room with his parents. One of the criminals has a gun, but no one is shot.
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars

Read-Alikes: Far Far Away, Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library, Below, The Aviary

Tristant and Elijah

Lavoie, Jennifer. Tristant and Elijah. Bold Strokes Books. 2014. $11.95. 207p. SC 978162390751.

Tristant is an out and proud teen with a very supportive family. He has a crush on Elijah, whom Tristant thinks is straight but is actually deeply closeted. Together, Tristant and Elijah discover a letter written by Tristant’s great uncle, who was a gay man living in the early 1900s when it was much more dangerous to be LGBT. As Tristant and Elijah work together to unravel the mystery of Tristant’s uncle, their relationship with each other begins to bloom as well.

This novel is an interesting combination of a character-driven romantic story and a plot-driven historical mystery. The reader learns as much about the Tristant’s uncle as they do about the two main characters. Tristant and Elijah’s relationship develops throughout the story, but an absence of explicit details makes this story an ideal match for young adults and even tween readers who are ready for more mature books without graphic content. The historic information makes this book an easy pair for David Levithan’s Two Boys Kissing. A conversational writing style and character-driven story makes this novel an easy recommend for fans of romance literature, especially boys who may want a romantic story without a female main character. While the lack of friction or difficulties in Tristant and Elijah’s lives may not ring true for most LGBT teens, the presence of a character who is confident in his orientation will be a source of encouragement. Recommended for public and school libraries.